An enthusiastic crowd relishes the end of summer at last year's Grand Points North festival. / Ian Thomas Jansen-Lonnquist/ Free Press

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Free Press Staff Writer

Maybe you noticed the arrival of summer last week, when it made its presence known with the record-breaking heat soaring to 97 degrees. Some things ease the discomfort of excessive heat. A refreshing swim. A frosty beverage. Cool music.

You’re on your own for those first two, but cool music, we’ve got that covered. Here are a half-dozen events – some much ballyhooed, others neither ballied nor hooed – where music and the great, potentially hot outdoors will meet and no doubt get along, er, swimmingly.

Rockinghill Music Festival

Friday-Saturday, the Rockinghill Music Festival kicks the summer concert season off with two days of music in southern Vermont at the Rockingham Hill Farm on Meeting House Road. The music starts in Rockingham at 7 p.m. Friday with Jatoba, The Brew, Orange Television and Barefoot Truth. A full day of music, from 11:30 a.m. Saturday until the wee hours of Sunday morning, features Tim Palmieri, the Ryan Montbleau Band, Kung Fu, Flabberghaster, Sophistafunk, Outer Stylie, The Edd, Lucas Gallo and Hannah Hoffman. $40. www.barnabyspresents.com.

Cambridge Music Festival

Noon-midnight July 21, the second annual Cambridge Music Festival highlights Vermont and New England music at The Barn at Boyden Farm. Music comes every hour on the hour, with contributions from Mud City Ramblers, The Aerolites, Wolfman Conspiracy, Starline Rhythm Boys, FunkWagon, Citizen Bare, Big Spike, Sarah Wallis, the Michele Fay Band, Something With Strings, Casio Bastard and Kim & Sharon. The kids (including the grown-up ones) might dig sets by Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate at 12:30 and 2 p.m. $15-$25 (free for ages 12 and under). www.cambridgemusicfestival.com.

Valley Stage Music Festival

1 p.m. Aug. 4, the Valley Stage Music Festival, in its seventh year, may be old enough to now be called “venerable.” The festival that Don Sheldon presents on his property in Huntington draws local and national folk-rockers and Americana-music-makers, and this year features the sounds of Rani Arbo and daisy mayhem, The Woes, After the Rodeo and Phineas Gage. $25 in advance, $30 day of show. 434-4563, wwws.valleystage.net.

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Lake Champlain Maritime Festival

Aug. 9-12, the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival draws national touring acts to the waterfront in Burlington (like it’s hard to draw people to a place with that kind of view) every summer. This time the festival’s offerings at Waterfront Park include (all at 7 p.m.), Aug. 9, Eastern European-influenced rockers Gogol Bordello ($33 in advance, $36 day of show); Aug. 10, modern bluegrass and folk from Old Crow Medicine Show, The Lumineers and Milk Carton Kids ($35 in advance, $39 day of show); Aug. 11, reunited jam-rockers Strangefolk ($35 in advance, $40 day of show); and Aug. 12, bluesy rocker Citizen Cope ($35 in advance, $38 day of show). If you like your music a little more free – as in it won’t cost you a cent – the festival will hit you where you and your wallet live withsounds from the likes of Chamberlin, Joshua Panda and the Hot Damned, Lisa Marie Fischer & Mark Evitts, Sarah Stickle and Tony Catlin & Brett Hughes. 482-3313, www.lcmfestival.com.

The Manifestivus

Aug. 17-18, the festival known as The Manifestivus began a decade ago when bass player Dave Pransky of the world-music band Toubab Krewe wanted to throw a party on his family’s property on, not surprisingly, Pransky Road in Cabot. The festival keeps going strong, and this year presents the music of Toubab Krewe as well as Diblo Dibala, Rootz Underground, Elastic Bond, Awa Sangho and Vermont acts including Barika and Kat Wright & the Indomitable Soul Band. $55-$85. www.manifestivus.com.

Grand Point North

Sept. 14-15, the Grand Point North festival may come after Labor Day, but it’s still summer, and represents one last chance to celebrate music and that perfect view from Waterfront Park before the cool air moves in for awhile. The festival created last year by Vermont rock ‘n’ rollers Grace Potter and the Nocturnals with Higher Ground returns to Burlington with Potter’s band joined by national acts such as The Avett Brothers, Dr. Dog, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Galactic and the Sam Roberts Band. Performers with Vermont ties are on the agenda as well, represented by Heloise & the Savoir Faire, Waylon Speed, Gregory Douglass, Ryan Power, Bob Wagner, Bow Thayer and Tooth Ache. $45-$65. 652-0777, www.highergroundmusic.com.